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Morris - Solid when needed, one outstanding save at the end, bit indecisive in the second half - 7
Clohessy - Such a threat going forward and cool head at the back - 8
Mohsni - Less heart attack moments, one stunning pass from corner to corner, several other not so stunning passes - 8
Barker - Commanding at the back, level headed - 8
Gilbert - Not as attacking as Clohessy, drifted in and out of the game - 7
Easton - Business as usual, not outstanding moments, but no errors either - 7
Grant - always available, awesome goal, the formation suited his new found attacking instincts - 9
Simpson - Sublime with his feet, took his goal well, final ball sometimes lacking, but otherwise virtuoso performance - 9
Hall - Not afraid to try and beat the man with the first touch, run his legs off - 8
Soares - Not as fast I'd like, really want him to do well, but he just doesn't seem the part - 6
Sturrock - Man of the match, didn't stop all day and did exactly what his role was defined as, held up the ball and brought the midfield into the attack - 9

Subs
Paterson - Came on during a very defensive phase, didn't have a great deal to do - 6
Coughlan - An inspired substitution, probably won us the game with his strong defensive play - 8

Tactics
Bang on to start with, Torquay were made to look silly in the first half and the 4-5-1 left them outnumbered and bamboozled in the middle. 4-4-2 was clearly not the right choice late in the 2nd half, but was quickly rectified with a solid 5-3-2 to hold on to the win.


Sat in the South Upper today for the first time ever and it was eye opening in terms of witnessing the tactical side of the game. Well done Luggy.
 
Couldnt get to todays game but fantastic result. As well as rating the players, can we all rate Blue Voice too please to let Smiffy, TrueBlue etc know how they performed today too!!! UTB
 
A real old-fashioned game of two halves. The first 45 was as good as any Southend side has played in the last couple of years. We moved the ball quickly and fluently and the three central midfielders completely ran the show. Torquay came back in the second half and we took a battering in the last half hour. There have to be serious questions about our fitness levels because two many players responded as if their legs had completely gone.
As to marks, we really need two sets - one for the opening hour and another for the last 30. To balance as best I can:-

Morris 6 - a couple of decent saves, but could have been more commanding and at fault with the goal

Clohessy 7 - the best I've seen him, both defensively and coming forward

Mohsny 7 - a very shaky start, but grew in confidence and won everything in the air

Barker 9 - the star man. Outstanding throughout and constantly talking to Mohsni

Gilbert 7 - thoroughly efficient display and linked well with Hall

Simpson 8 - would have been a 9, but completely disappeared when the going got tough

Easton 7 - again, the best I've seen him. Much more involved than he has been

Grant 7 - a great goal and worked hard, but like Simpson his legs went in the second half

Hall 7 - full of tricks and invention weith some wicked set pieces. Still raw, but a decent player in the making

Soares 5 - never really in the game, not sure what his role was supposed to be

Sturrock 5 - a thankless role on his own up top, but not enough stuck to make the system work once the midfielders tired.

Paterson and Coughlan weren't on long enough to justify a mark, but both substitutions were on the money and helped us to hold on.

All in all, very promising. We won't meet many sides as uncompromising as Torquay, but we will have to keep our shape better when we're under pressure.
 
Class first half where we got the goals at the right time and Torquay just ran out of time in the second half..
I thought we struggled to come to terms with the aerial bombardment second half and I think we will need to work on that.

Other than that, two brilliantly taken goals, and commanded against a team with what, 1 goal conceded in last 12 or 13?
We looked like we might score at will at one point.

Ratings for Pringello

Morris (8) - Didnt have a great deal to do in the first half but repaid Sturrocks faith to keep him in side to save us at death.
Clohessy (8) - One of his better games I thought. Got forward well linking up with Simpson and defended manfully
Gilbert (6) - One of the quieter players in the first half, and got run a bit ragged at times in the second
Barker (8) - Won most things in the air - looking very assured - occasional lapses possibly caused by language barrier with Mohsni
Mohsni (6) - Very erratic today. Imperious in the air most of the time, then terrible positioning. Needs to cut out mistakes. Bags of talent though
Easton (8) - Great driving impact in midfield. Controlled and assured thus giving Grant and Simpson the time and space to go forward
Grant (8) - Wonderful goal and a wonderful first half. I thought he gave the ball away a bit more than usual today though.
Simpson (9) - Pick for me today with driving runs, good tackling, and clever football brain. His goal was icing on the cake
Hall (8) - Brilliant first half on the left. Barely put a foot wrong and caused Torquays defence big problems
Sturrock (8) - Held ball up very well in the first half, some lovely touches and his pass for Simpsons miss was very clever. Second half got battered for the cause
Soares (7) - Strange selection for me, but he didnt do much wrong. If they want pace there, then would go with Spencer.

Paterson - (5) Not enough time but worked hard
Coughlan - (6) Did a job at a crucial time

Sturrock - (7) - Did he do enough second half to stem the problems caused by the threat of Gritton? Eventually I would say but almost too late. Doing a fantastic job though!

Ref (7) - 4 minutes? I never saw a physio. Generally did nothing controversial but often thought he got silly decisions wrong
 
Couldnt get to todays game but fantastic result. As well as rating the players, can we all rate Blue Voice too please to let Smiffy, TrueBlue etc know how they performed today too!!! UTB

Listened to the end on BBC Essex and totally agree. The Hall sounded like it was rockin'! :D
 
morris 7 did everything required and claimed most balls in the air
clohessy 7 better today both going forward and defending
gilbert 6 bit average hoofed the ball alot
barker 8 excellent again won nearly every header
moshini 7 won every header also quick
soares 7 better form him today worked hard and got back as well
hall 8 really like this lad has bace sikill and a good cross shame only seems to have a left foot though
easton 7 great defensive midfield role didnt do much wrong
simpson 9 very skillfull good tackles and what a goal
grant 9 same as above i love grant!!
sturrock 9 MOTM what a display held everything up to let the midfielders over lap did some excellent touches and also put his body on the line defensively

subs
patterson 6 didntdo much
coulghan unfair to give rating as only had 6 mins

tbv. 7 loud through out just shame wasnt more of us singing

paul sturrock 8 got it right today constantly changing formation
 
Thought it was a good team performance, got pegged back at the death which is to be expected. Star players for me were Grant, Simpson, Mohsni, Barker and Hall. Give them all 8. The rest 7 and Sturrock 6. Yes he tries hard, yes he can control the ball and no it's not his fault that every time the ball is pumped up to him he can't win it in the air. Sorry but he's not the answer, we have 3 better strikers at the club. My opinion
 
Morris 7 Made a fantastic save in injury time but didn't have too much to do really, should have done better with the goal though
Clohessy 8 Got forward fantasticly well and also defended well and looked a real threat going forward
Mohsni 7.5 Shakey start but improved as the game went on and hardly lost a header all game, some great tackles too
Barker 7.5 Calm and cool at the back and did everything he had to do, couldn't have asked for much more
Gilbert 7 Did alright defensively and just doesn't get forward as much as the likes of Clohessy so didn't have the same impact
Soares 7 Drifted in and out of the game but looked good when he was on it and threatened
Easton 8 Similar to Kevin Maher and a controlling influence in the middle of the park dictating the play
Simpson 9 Thought he was fantastic today, all over the pitch, getting forward as well as back and scored a great goal
Grant 8.5 So different this season to last but was at the middle of most of our best passing movements and finished well for the first
Hall 8 Looked dangerous with his long runs and dribbles and got the ball in well just fails to track back
Sturrock 7.5 Held the ball up well and linked up to but looked as if he wa tiring by the end
Subs
Patterson 7 Chased things around but didn't have a huge impact
Coughlan 7.5 Shored things up at the back and his influence steadied the ship

TBV 8.5 Fantastic today, well done!
 
Thought it was a good team performance, got pegged back at the death which is to be expected. Star players for me were Grant, Simpson, Mohsni, Barker and Hall. Give them all 8. The rest 7 and Sturrock 6. Yes he tries hard, yes he can control the ball and no it's not his fault that every time the ball is pumped up to him he can't win it in the air. Sorry but he's not the answer, we have 3 better strikers at the club. My opinion

everyone has there opinion but i think this is nonsense he was definatly the best option today for that role was brilliant
 
Morris - 8 - Good game, very solid, great save at the end!

Clohessy - 6.5 - Loses the ball a bit too much for my liking, but some decent crosses.
Gilbert - 7 - Good balls forward, and very solid tackling.
Mohsni - 6 - Not his best game, made quite a few mistakes in the second half, but won a lot of balls as usual.
Barker - 8 - Glad to have signed him permanently, very solid, great heading.

Hall - 9 - Beats every player with ease and puts in some amazing crosses!
Soares - 7 - Some nice touches and passes.
Easton - 7 - Played us into trouble too many times by being too defensive.
Grant - 8 - very fired up today, and scored an amazing goal to round it off!
Simpson - 9 - Very good player, his skill is second to none, and makes some excellent runs.

Sturrock - 9 - His touches really add something to the team, and his lay-offs are brilliant, good performance from Blair.

Paterson - 6 - Runs around like a headless chicken and only touched the ball maybe twice.
Coughlan - 8 - Bossed the defense well and his strength definitely helps.

Ref - 8 - Let the game flow well, -1 for the 4 minutes added time!
Blue Voice - 8 - Very loud for most of the game.
 
Im just of the belief that a striker should atleast have some goal threat, that's all, sorry..
 
Excellent in the first half, leggy in the last half an hour. We really should've been out of sight thanks to a first half that was a joy to watch.

I do love how we can now change systems during the game to combat the opposition. How we needed that skill over the past couple of years.

Ratings:

Morris 7: I'd like him to be more dominant, but I think we're very much going to have to realise that he's going to struggle to do that ala Darryl. The save at the end was top, top drawer.

Clohessy 7: Steady. He defended well generally and he got forward to support on ample occasions. Will continue to get better and better.

Mohsni 6.5: We're going to have to accept that we'll get the rough with the smooth with him. For the first 10 minutes he was all over the shop, but he got it together and was playing exceedingly well until the lump that is Martin Gritton came on. I get the feeling in this league he might have to get used to playing against old pros like him!

Barker 8: Absolutely exceptional. The first half performance was the best from a centre half that I can remember for some time. How we could've done with him instead of Barrett quite some time ago.....

Gilbert 6.5: He is the archetypal steady eddy. I very much doubt he'll be noticed in many games this season. He just gets on and does his job without ever looking exceptional or poor.

Simpson 8: Outstanding. Another player we could've done with a while ago, and it's a must that we snap him up in January. He adds an extra dimension to the midfield and drives forward so well. He's excellent with the ball at his feet and the goal he scored was one that would grace any ground in the world. I can't quite understand why Peterborough don't want to give him a crack at League 1. A key player.

Easton 7: Probably the best I've seen him play. I've not been too impressed so far, but today he kept things ticking over for us nicely.

Grant 7.5: He would've had an 8 or maybe a 9, but he tailed off badly for the last half an hour along with many others. In the first half though he completely and utterly ran the show. I was right behind his goal and it was nothing short of outstanding. Tilly might have missed a trick when he was here.......

Soares 7: I thought he was pretty decent, but I see the question marks are after him again on here.... I can't help but feel he'll be a constant scapegoat for many and will suffer the same impatience as Scannell did until the end. Nearly scored with a cracking left foot effort and gave us a useful outlet. Sturrock is very much correct in saying that the first half system utilises Soares and Hall well.

Sturrock 7: It was tough out there for Blair today, up against two big lumps at the back. With the ball at his feet and his back to goal, he's a very intelligent and useful player and he brings players into the game so well, but lumping balls towards his head is utterly pointless. We did the latter a little too much today, but on many occasions he showed what a useful player he is by using the strengths to his game that I previously mentioned. He was still getting moaned at by half of those around me though. Presumably because he's not Freddy Eastwood.

Hall 7.5: I thought he was excellent. In the first half especially he was ripping them to bits, with excellent close control, nice link up play and some great deliveries into the box. He's another player who will only get better and better as time goes on.

Subs:

Paterson 6: He really struggled to get anywhere near the ball once he came on, but that was more down to the fact it was continuously being lumped into our box by then.

Coughlan 6.5: An intelligent substitution by Sturrock, he helped bring a bit more domination to our play.
 
Morris - Solid - 7

Clohessy - Quick and solid - 8
Mohsni - Poor first five, but built on his performance, learning all the time - 7.5
Barker - Best centre back we've had for a very very long time, apart from Dervite - 8
Gilbert - Solid and very intelligent - 7

Hall - Finds it easy at times, all the tricks come out, and he always gets a cross in, he's a proper winger, you have to take him losing the ball. It's a massive part of being a winger. 7
Soares - Much better worked hard, looked to be really enjoying it, he'll score a fair amount for us. Seemed to be playing upfront and on the wing. 7
Easton - Brilliant captain, strong, commanding, tidies everything up. 8
Grant - haha he's quality - 8
Simpson - Probably our best player, one of the best I've ever seen in a SUFC shirt - 9

Blair Sturrock - Immense, battled incredibly, first half was all about him setting everyone up and the second half was all about him challenging their centre halves who pushed, elbowed and kicked him the whole 90. Delighted at the end as well which I love. It's not coincedence that he has been in promotion winning side. He puts so much effort in, and he actually applies himself at the same time. MAN OF THE MATCH 9.

Paterson - Impossible to come on and perform when your team are defending for the whole time you are on - 6
Coughlan - Brilliant, proves he isn't just here for the coaching role, a good tactical decision to bring him on - 7

Ref and Linesmans - all clueless most of the time again, how could they fail to see the constant pushes, elbows, shirt pulling, hands on shoulders and backs the whole time? ****ing useless again. I'm sorry, it isn't that hard to referee or officiate a football match. ''Oh it's the angle I'm at'' No it ****ing isn't it's because you are completely inept you useless ****. -1

Blues Voice, and as we in effect are all the Blues Voice well done everyone, you could tell we lifted their spirits - 9 out of 10

The whole club are beginning to be a UNIT again!

A line to sum up the performance;
The whole squad where enjoying it.

Get in!
 
Morris - 8 - Good game, very solid, great save at the end!

Clohessy - 6.5 - Loses the ball a bit too much for my liking, but some decent crosses.
Gilbert - 7 - Good balls forward, and very solid tackling.
Mohsni - 6 - Not his best game, made quite a few mistakes in the second half, but won a lot of balls as usual.
Barker - 8 - Glad to have signed him permanently, very solid, great heading.

Hall - 9 - Beats every player with ease and puts in some amazing crosses!
Soares - 7 - Some nice touches and passes.
Easton - 7 - Played us into trouble too many times by being too defensive.
Grant - 8 - very fired up today, and scored an amazing goal to round it off!
Simpson - 9 - Very good player, his skill is second to none, and makes some excellent runs.

Sturrock - 9 - His touches really add something to the team, and his lay-offs are brilliant, good performance from Blair.

Paterson - 6 - Runs around like a headless chicken and only touched the ball maybe twice.
Coughlan - 8 - Bossed the defense well and his strength definitely helps.

Ref - 8 - Let the game flow well, -1 for the 4 minutes added time!
Blue Voice - 8 - Very loud for most of the game.

Paterson came on at a time when we were under the kosh,Sturrock didnt do any more than him in the last part of the game as we never got hold of the ball so a bit harsh to criticise him for that.

How Coughlan got an 8 just for coming on I dont know, he was only on a short while and didnt do anything!?

Barker has got a lot of great marks on here and overall was ok but in the last 10 minutes or so when we were getting bombarded he was getting beaten everytime in the air.. Barrett and Clark got constantly criticised for not being tall enough and Barker seems shorter, I wouldnt want him to have to face the likes of Lincoln team that we played when we last were in league two, I dont think he would cope too well!
 
We've had countless Blair's at the club in the past, Harrold, Revell, Bradbury to mention a few. They didnt score many and were 'target men', if he doesn't score goals then he will receive the same unwarranted abuse they all got. Sad to say it but that's football fans.
 
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